A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford is the first book in the Golden Court series. Calla and Briar, twins, have been in hiding since birth to stay safe from the evil sorceress who killed their family and demolished their kingdom. A long awaited plan is about to come into fruition with Briar betrothed to Prince Grae to unite their kingdoms and reclaim the throne. Everything goes awry when Calla learns who her fated mate is and this leads to the evil sorceress coming back into the picture and putting Briar to sleep. Readers follow Calla’s journey as she fights to save her sister and reclaim her kingdom, while also learning more about her own identity. She meets a musical troupe along the way and learns that found family can be just as strong as blood family.

This is the first book I’ve by this author, however I have had some of their other books on my TBR for a while. I really enjoyed the fast-paced world building and storyline. It does have a little bit of a sleeping beauty element to it, but it’s so much more than that. It has fated mates and also has a great LGBTQ+ representation! It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster throughout but in the best way. Overall a really fun start to this trilogy and I can’t wait to read the others!

Thank you to NetGalley (@netgalley), the publisher (@harpervoyagerus) and the author (@akmulford) for granting me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is expected to come out in December 2023.

This book is promising!! I liked it so much that I finished reading it in less than a day!! I honestly think this can be read as a standalone but I want the sequel ASAP!

What this book contains:
- fated mates
- wolf shifters
- childhood friends to lovers
- self-discovery/gender exploration
- found family
- royal politics
- hint of sleeping beauty
- strong FMC
- romantasy w/ spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Pacing & writing style:
- it started fast but slowed down in the middle and picked up again towards the end.
- first pov

What I liked:
- the world building is easy to follow
- majority of the characters are lovable
- Calla & Grae’s relationship is adorable
- Calla’s journey to self-discovery is inspiring

What I wasn’t fond of:
- some of the spicy scenes are written as fillers that seem out of place. I like reading spice but too much random spice just appears weird to me.
- Briar’s rescue… i found it too easy since she just magically appeared in front of them.

Ratings:
4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (HarperCollins), and the author for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure if it was but this seemed like a sleeping beauty retelling. Either way I did enjoy this story. I enjoyed this romantic fantasy and the fact that it wasn’t about fae which tons of stories seem to be lately.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

Official rating: 4.5, rounding up to a 5

Look, I read a lot of wolf books. Fantasy books with wolves and wolf packs are a high ranking top 5 in my favorite reads, and this book was no exception. The inclusion, the identity searching, found family trope...I'm obsessed.

Calla is a young woman who has lived in seclusion with her twin sister her whole life, squirreled away by their guardian since birth who was tasked with protecting the twins by their mother's dying wish. They are the last remaining heirs to the city of Olmdere, a city known for the Golden COurt, who has since been demolished with the twins parents deaths. Little does the world know, but the twins are still alive when the world thinks them dead. Even more secret, the world only knew of Calla's twin sister, Briar's birth, and never Calla, so Calla has lived her whole life knowing she was not the reigning heir and would always live to protect Briar as she was married off into another royal family.

This book weaves a tale of learning to find ones true self outside of the shadow of family, outside of the realm of expectations the world has, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

A.K. Mulford is the ruler of character representation. I love how they write people you want to love. I always feel a connection to the people and never feel like anyone is written to check a box.

Thank you to Netgalley, A.K. Mulford and Harper Collins for the chance to review this book. I give my opinion freely and honestly.

Enchanted by this cover and A.K.'s previous series, I couldn't resist reaching for this ARC when I heard it was available. There's something special about how their stories come to life on the page and the rich, diverse cast that always comes with that. That being said I have some mixed emotions with this book. I think this will be a fun and engaging series but the pacing here felt off for me. This could be my own fault but the pacing was both fast and slow. Through some of the mid section and towards the end I wasn't as engaged. But the beginning and end really hooked me. I loved the shifter aspects and the development of the main character. Also loved Grae straight out of the gate. I do wish we had more banter from them in the beginning but I also understand it didn't really fit in this trope. I still love him. (Is it weird that I want more shifter *action"...like....that's a thing right...?)

Overall, I'll follow the series and encourage anyone who made it this far to continue as well. I have faith that book two is going to bring so much more to this series and I cannot wait.

This felt like a mishmash of things I've seen so often that it was difficult to remain engaged. The writing felt quite contemporary too, so this was just not for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley and AK Mulford for this eArc!

I first need to say that I am a huge fan of AK Mulford’s work and this book is no exception. A River of Golden Bones has the world building, self discovery, found family, romance, and magic that I have come to know, love, and expect from their work. This story is a sleeping beauty retelling where twin wolf shifter sisters need to balance their duty to their pack with their duty to themselves. I am usually not a huge fan of wolf shifter books, but Mulford wove in plenty of pack drama and expectations making it easy to relate to the wolves.

To me, the biggest difference between this book and her other series (The Five Courts of Okrith) is that this storyline does not take place in a predominantly queer normative world despite there being queer characters. This made Calla’s internal journey of self discovery so much more moving because there was not this level of complete outward acceptance on all sides of the community. The politics of the continent that Mulford created is wholly unique, and I have never experienced anything that compares to it. There is an undercurrent of a deeper allegory that carries through the entire book which makes each interaction between the humans, wolves, and between humans and wolves so captivating to read.

I truly did love the book, with my only criticism being that the pacing of the first half of the book feels off. I feel that much of the conflict (of which there is many) that occurred were referenced instead of fully experienced making the actions and emotions of Calla come off as somewhat unjustified. However, this fully resolved itself in the latter half of the book as every detail of each conflict and the aftermath is explored to the fullest degree.

Overall, I will certainly recommend this book, as it only gets better the more you read and there are so many layers to explore within it. Calla and Grae’s romance is breathtaking and Calla’s self discovery is done in such a clever manner!

This book had everything I love in a beautifully written package.
-Fantasy Setting with Fairy Tale Elements
-Romance
-Wolf Shifters
-Fated Mates
-A Strong Main Character with bravery and brains
-Found Family
-Self-Discovery

I was instantly drawn to this reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. Twin heirs in hiding, waiting for their chance to reclaim their stolen throne. Briar is whispered about, known only as the Crimson Princess. Calla is a secret, very few know that the Queen Rose Marriel gave birth to another child before she dies. Protected by their mother's dying wish, the two are about to step into an unknown world of Wolf politics and intrigue.

Prince Grae is their only friend and ally in their new court. He is betrothed to Briar, but Calla can't help but feel drawn to him. The night of the wedding, the sorceress Sawyn returns to curse the Crimson Princess, just like she cursed the Queen Rose years before. Determined to fight for their sister-and their kingdom-Calla sets out alone to defeat Sawyn.

Calla's quest is not only for their sister. The journey across the land is mirrored by a journey of self-discovery as Calla learns that they do not have to fit into a pre-defined role. This book is powerful and moving. And I loved every second of it. Calla feels like a part of me that I was waiting to find. They are strong and smart in a way that felt believable because of their vulnerabilities.

The writing was beautiful but so were the characters. I rarely annotate, but I found myself creating highlight after highlight as I read. There were so many powerful passages that spoke to my soul that I wanted to keep so I could find them again. Calla was my favorite character, but Grae was a close second and nearly everything I highlighted was something one or the other of them said.

This book was the perfect blend of fantasy and romance. I didn't feel like either was sacrificed in service of the other. The pacing was excellent with both adventure and quiet moments. I really can not recommend this book enough. It is one I know I'll be reading again.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have yet to read a book by AK Mulford that I didn’t love! They do such a good job at adding real social issues within a fantasy setting to give these concerns a new perspective to be seen in.
This story is a coming of age/journey to self discovery for the main character Calla. Not only do they have to save their kingdom, but also the fate of their sister lies in the balance. Through the journey back to their kingdom, Calla discovers their true self and uses this self discovery to unite people who were forced apart by years of oppressive rulers. This book features LGBTQ+ and disabled characters.
I would recommend to all who are looking for a low fantasy series and who love inclusivity. The world building in minimal and the magic/fantasy system is basic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for ARC. I received my copy in exchange of an honest review.

A River of Golden Bone is the first book in The Golden Court series by A. K. Mulford. It's a Sleeping Beauty retelling set in a world that Werewolves are in charge!
Well, that was enough for me to fell in love with this book so I requested an ARC. Now let me just say: thank GOD and NetGalley and Publisher for approving my request!
Calla, the main character, is Briar's secret twin, who is the Olmdar's heir. Calla always lived in shadows and no one-not really no one though!- knows about her. But when Sawyn, a wicked sorcerer that curse Calla and Briar's mother some years before, gets back and puts the same Sleeping Curse on Briar, Calla must come out of the shadows and do the one thing that could break Briar's curse; defeating Sawyn and taking back the Olmdare's throne once again.
This book was one of the best fantasy novels with a spicy romance that I read this year.
Calla's journey for saving Briar and Golden Throne was full of excitements. And that self-discovery part was one of the best parts in this book. I liked the way that Calla met Ora, How they connected and How Ora guides Calla to self-discovery.
And about the romance! Yeah!!! I loved our main couple. They're beautiful and sexy and everything I want a main couple to be.
I liked side characters, too. Sadi, Hector, Navin, Ora, Mina and Malou and their friendships with calla. How they supported each other and how they formed a pack of Werewolves and humens to fight together for a better world besides all of their differences.
Actually, I can't remember any other Werewolf books that I liked. So I'm happy that finally we have a fantasy series that focuses on them, not Vampires and Faes and Dragons who are Over-Fucused these days!
I really need book 2 now, specially with that plot twist about Sawyn and the cliffhanger wich makes me restless for next book.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC from the beautiful author. I am a huge fan of AK’s other books so I could not wait for this new series. And my god it did not disappoint. A River of Golden Bones follows Grae (swoon) and Princess/wolf shifter Calla as she embarks on a mission to save her sister and their people from an evil sorceress, while coming to terms with their genderfluidity and exploring their own identity.

This is a spoiler free review so I’ll try to keep this vague, but there were so many tropes in this book that I adore.
- Childhood best friends to lovers
- Flirting by holding a knife to someone’s throat
- Twin sisters who love and support each other even though they are so different
- Queer women being cute and in love with each other
- Wolf shifters and pack dynamics
- Fated mates with telepathic connections
- “Who did this to you?”
- Only one bed, need to share for body heat!
- Found family
- Touch her and die

Top Quotes:
“I was sick of waiting for the promises of men.”
“It hurts not to touch you.”
“I just don’t know that woman is the right word for what I am.”

Imagine every version of sleeping beauty combined into one (but especially the earliest version, The Sun The Moon and Talia), but the nobles are wolf shifters and fated mates exist.

Everything A. K. Mulford writes is exquisite and this is no exception. The representation, the self discovery, it’s all immaculate. I do think that the villain was killed a little too easily, but I’m looking forward to more of the political scheming in book 2.

An enchanting, immersive, and fast-paced story! The River of Golden Bones is one of my top romantic fantasy reads of 2023. Lovers of Fourth Wing and Sarah J Maas are going to adore this novel!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book and was so enamored with it that I lost all sense of time and space while doing so. The writing is superb and fast-paced throughout. A.K Mulford does a phenomenal job of providing immersive world-building without dragging the story out or creating any slow/boring parts in the book. Our main character is a badass, gender-fluid, wolf shifter queen who finds their place in the world while on a mission to reclaim their homeland from a wicked sorceress. I found myself relating to them often - their struggles with feeling out of place in the world and not knowing who they truly were (outside of who everyone else wanted them to be) hit home for me.

This book HAS IT ALL - childhood friends to lovers, fated mates, touch her and you die, a hint of fairytale retelling, found family, ample amounts of suspense and SPICE, and so much more! I promise you won't regret picking this one up.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion. This was a Romantasy with werewolves. I had such a difficult time getting into this book. It’s started out very confusing from the first paragraph. The pacing, descriptions, characters were just… confusing. It didn’t flow which was such a disappointment as I’ve been really looking forward to reading. Thank you for the opportunity.

I received a free e-arc through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the story.
2.75/5

It is a sleeping beauty retelling. I love fairy tell retellings and loved high mountain court so this would be a big win for me. Not really, I found this way to fast paced that I didnt really have any attachment to the "sisterly" bond (which is the drive of the story) or the main character. I found MC annoying and naive with no real growth throughout the book. MC comes off as a "Rapunzel" but angry and stabby more so than happy and care free. But MC naive to the world around and it's suppose to be about the "growth" and adjustment to the world. The side characters that are constant are a fun read but again it doesn't seem as well developed. By the time I got to about the 70% mark of the book I lost interest and started skimming the book to find out the ending. The overall plot seemed really good but just seemed to lack a lot with the characters.

3.5 rounded up.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly throughout the first 45%! It is well-written, and the main character, Calla, is a FANTASTIC representation as someone who is not meant for the skin they were born to be in. That being said, the entire middle of the book was a dredge to get through. I almost would've preferred it to be written as YA instead of the multiple pages of "I want to make you mine - but not here and now" over and over. I also wish the spat with Grae would've been different than almost the same exact spat they had in the beginning of the book. It felt redundant.

Pros:
- The representation in this book is beautifully written. You truly feel for Calla, and understand her inner crisis with not feeling like the "girl" she's been pigeon-holed as. The found family that she meets along the way that helps foster her awakening was so emotional, the support that she's given at multiple points throughout the book is palpable.
- Calla is an MC that you can't help but love. Even while internally battling herself and mourning, she's still strong and fierce.
- It truly reads like a fairytale. Obviously as a loose Sleeping Beauty retelling that would be almost given, but it felt like a TRUE fairytale. Just magical and mythical and immersive.

Cons:
- I believe it was too long for the story itself. The entire middle could've been cut in half and I wouldn't have been known the wiser
- The points made by the main villain felt convoluted. She wanted to be able to keep her throne as a woman, and wants other women to be able to rule, but also fiercely defends archaic wolf traditions and mocks Calla for not identifying as a girl. It felt very backwards.

Overall I think this book was a good read! The colors of the genderfluid/bi flag on the (STUNNING) cover is a fantastic nod to the book's contents.

I think this was the perfect romantasy to fill a void left by others. It has quite a few refreshing takes that aren’t as popular right now and it made me enjoy it even more. While the middle of the book lagged off a bit slow I think the pacing in every other aspect really shined. The wolf-shifters, queer representation, world building, and political intrigue had me flipping through the pages ready to devour more. You should definitely give this one a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars, that I have rounded up to four, and I will tell you why. Overall, this was a tough review for me! I kept flip-flopping on how I felt about the novel as I read— at times being extremely engaged with the stories and characters, almost to the point of tears, and at other times literally rolling my eyes at the prose. However, The reason I have given this book 3.5, rounded up to 4 stars, is because I think that the issues I had with the novel were mostly personal. The novel was technically sound, the writing was strong, and it told a good story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had court intrigue and politics, family drama, warring kingdoms, an evil sorceress, and super cool and unique take on werewolves/wolf shifters.

[SPOILERS FROM HERE]

BUT, I personally, cannot STAND the “fated mates” trope. I’ve disliked it in other books (looking at you SJM) and I dislike it here. Which is a shame because I really like the characters! I think they could have gotten together naturally and Calla’s sister could have just had the only fated bond, which would have been enough to screw up the betrothal. Calla and Grae had enough history, and traveling together would have drawn them close. I just wish it had gotten to happen more naturally.

[END OF SPOILERS]

In addition to the above, this book is S P I C Y! I know many people really enjoy that in a fantasy novel. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. That’s just a personal preference, no fault of the author at all, but it did decrease my enjoyment of the book by a slight margin.

What *improved* my enjoyment, was Calla’s journey to understanding and learning about gender outside of rigid Wolf society. I don’t want to put any more spoilers in this review than I already have, but I think that plot line was written well and very strongly— and I hope there’s more of it in coming books. I worry that there’s a potential for it to fall by the wayside given how much Plot is going to be coming up in the next books, but I sincerely hope that is not the case.

In general I would say that I enjoyed this book, and I think many other folks will too. The characters are strong and well-defined, the story is engaging, and, I mean, it’s got queer werewolves. Honestly what more could you ask for?

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The world building was strong and didn’t feel difficult to follow. The pacing did slow down a bit towards the middle. I love the representation in this book and how it was written. Overall I thought it was interested and I’m curious about the next one.

Things to expect:
- Fated mates
- LGTBT representation
- Wolf shifters
- Political intrigue
- Sleeping beauty retelling
- Spice 🌶️🌶️

The cover was the initial reason this book caught my eye - it's gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the inside of the book; fated mates isn't always something I enjoy reading, but it worked here. I did wish that a bit more of the story had been dedicated to the MCs backstory - it would've been fun to get a bit of them growing up together. It was interesting to go through the MCs journey of self-discovery with themselves, and I liked that Ora was there as a supportive character to help the self-discovery process.